


Christmas Medley

by leviathncas (orphan_account)



Category: Free!, Hetalia: Axis Powers, Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler, Soul Eater
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Parties, Coffee Shops, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Meetings, Friends to Lovers, M/M, One-Shot Collection, established relationships - Freeform, marriage proposals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-16
Updated: 2013-12-26
Packaged: 2018-01-04 19:01:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1084593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/leviathncas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of one-shots written for the twelve days of Christmas 2013.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Day of Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> Recommended Playlist of Songs:
> 
>  _Christmastime Is Here_ – Straight No Chaser  
>  _Angels We Have Heard On High_ – The Piano Guys  
>  _Baby, It's Cold Outside_ – Barry Manilow  & K.T. Olsten  
>  _Holly Jolly Christmas_ – Michael Bublé  
>  _Deck The Halls_ – Mannheim Steamroller  
>  _Let It Snow!_ – Straight No Chaser  
>  _White Christmas_ – Aaron Neville  
>  _Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24_ – Trans-Siberian Orchestra  
>  _Who Spiked The Eggnog?_ – Straight No Chaser  
>  _Blue Christmas_ – Elvis Presley  
>  _The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)_ – James Taylor  
>  _I'll Be Home For Christmas_ – Josh Groban

Ciel sat tiredly at the little round table of the coffee shop, hands wrapped tightly around the thermos of hot and steaming Earl Grey that he couldn't get anywhere but his own kitchen, because stupid Americans and their lack of proper drinks and whatnot. He snorted lightly to himself, rolling his heterochromatic eyes at the hopeless culture, and cautiously sipped at the beverage, glancing apathetically out of the large glass window at the grey cloud-filled sky, watching absently as small flakes of snow began to delicately fall. 

_Never fails,_ he thought dejectedly to himself as he glowered at the crystals. _Why can't it_ not _snow on my birthday? Just once, maybe?_ He huffed, taking another sip of his tea. Snow was overrated in his opinion, especially at this time of year. In fact, this whole _time of year_ was overrated, and he couldn't help the leer that crossed his features as he observed one of the shop's baristas stringing decorated garland along the windowpanes and hanging a giant wreath on the door. 

As he watched the indigo-haired barista finish tying the red ribbon around the wreath, the door beside it swung open, the crisp air smelling of fresh snow wafting in as yet another two customers strode through. The shiver that ran up his spine, however, had nothing to do with the cold wind. 

The recesses of Ciel's mind catalogued the slightly shorter customer – slicked brunet hair, rectangle frames perched on his slender nose adjusted by a gloved hand as he spoke to his companion, thin lips pressed in an unamused line as he brushed the light dusting of fluffy powder from his coat – and promptly shoved him to the "never to be thought of again" corner of his consciousness; no, his attention was solely on the man's companion.

An alabaster complexion as pale as the falling snow was framed by a mane of messily-styled choppy ebony locks, jagged edges falling across rose-tinted cheeks, most likely from the chilly weather. A wide smile was spread across full lips, brilliant white teeth a shade lighter than his skin visible underneath the fluorescent lighting as he laughed amiably at his companion, shaking the ice crystals from his inky hair onto the other. 

Ciel was mesmerized, completely enthralled with this gorgeous stranger now standing in the short line of the coffee shop, conversing lightly with who Ciel decided was most likely a good friend or coworker, perhaps. He gazed discreetly at the utterly attractive man as the line slowly moved forward, sipping his Earl Grey silently as he watched the pair order their drinks and nearly spitting back out when the man turned in his direction, his gaze landing directly on Ciel and remaining there, his movement halting as his beautiful ruby eyes widened in awe. 

Ciel stared back, his heterochromatic gaze locked onto the shining crimson irises as time seemed to freeze and the rest of the coffee shop seemed to fall away, leaving only them. He was pulled out after a brief moment when he noticed in his peripheral the man's companion shove the other in his direction with a roll of his gold-laced emerald eyes, muttering something in the man's ear before heading to wait at the drink pick-up. 

The man's inky hair swished around his face as he stumbled forward in surprise, turning to throw a childish pout at his friend before looking back towards Ciel, a warm smile replacing his frown as he walked over. Ciel was frozen in his seat, immobile as a statue as the man took the seat across from him, leaning on the table to prop his chin in his palm. 

"This seat's not taken, is it?" he inquired, arching a perfectly shaped brow and tilting his head to one side, letting his dark locks fall across his face enticingly. 

Ciel wanted to melt at the sweet silken tenor tone, flowing smooth as velvet and soft as satin against his eardrums. He shivered involuntarily at the pleasantness of the man's voice and he could feel his cheeks beginning to redden. It eventually registered with him that he'd been asked a question and he quickly shook his head. "N-No, it's not," he stuttered, mentally slapping himself. _Get it together, Ciel,_ he berated. _Just because he's mildly attractive is no reason for such pathetic antics._  

_Pfft. 'Mildly' my ass. He's_ gorgeous. 

Ciel shifted uncomfortably, his pants suddenly _much_ tighter than they had been as the man straightened up, his grin widening into a full-blown teeth-showing smile as he chuckled. "You're quite adorable, you know," he commented lightly, looking into Ciel's eyes. "And you're eyes are lovely."    

Ciel blinked, feeling his blush deepen as he huffed and looked away in embarrassment. "Sh-Shut up," he muttered, crossing his arms with a pout. "I'm not _adorable._ " 

The man just chuckled. "No need to be embarrassed, little lord. I find it to be a quite a desirable attribute." He winked playfully. 

Ciel wanted to both melt into a puddle of warm goo at the man's intense gaze and for the world to open up and swallow him, simply to be free of the embarrassing comments. His face, he knew, was as red as the man's merlot eyes, quite possibly stained that way permanently, and he felt the strong urge to just disappear; however, he also had to admit that he was quite enjoying the attention. 

"So, what's your name, little lord?" 

Ciel looked up from his hands around his thermos, pursing his lips. "Ciel Phantomhive." 

The man's smile was blinding. "Well, Ciel, I'm –" 

He cut himself off as his companion came up out of nowhere and thrust his coffee into his face. He blinked in surprise, looking up at his friend. "What?" 

"Ronald texted; Aloïs is drunk – _again_ – and needs us home to work damage control." The brunet shook his head in exasperation. "Are you sure your brother isn't a demon?" 

The other just let out a laugh, standing to join his friend and taking the drink. He reached out quickly, grabbing the pen in his companion's breast pocket, turning back to Ciel and grinning happily. "Well, Ciel, I'm afraid we'll have to continue this at a later time." Snatching up Ciel's arm and shoving his coat sleeve up his arm, he inked words on the pale skin, letting it drop once he was done. 

Capping the pen and handing it back to the brunet, they both turned on their heel and headed for the door. Looking over his shoulder one more time, he called, "Have a good day, little Ciel. I look forward to hearing from you soon! Oh, and happy birthday!" He winked, swiftly turning back around and breezing out the door behind the brunet.

Ciel blinked several times, wondering just how the man knew it was his birthday before shaking his head and looking at his arm. His eyes scanned the what was written:

_xxx-xxx-xxxx_

_Call me soon, my Ciel~_

_Aloïs sends his love and birthday wishes_

_– Sebastian_  

Well. That answered _that_ question. 

Ciel smiled to himself, lightly ghosting a finger over the swirled signature, impressed with Sebastian's calligraphy even on his forearm. He shook his head at the second message, the departure of Sebastian and his friend to lead "damage control" making too much sense; he'd heard tales from the blond himself about what transpired when he was shitfaced. It was strange that they both knew the exact same Aloïs, but it didn't surprise him. 

What a small world they lived in. 

Ciel sighed, finishing off the Earl Grey and putting the cap back on the thermos, standing and stretching his back out from sitting for so long. As he made his way out into the world, he pulled his coat closer, looking up into the light grey clouds, grinning despite himself as he tugged his sleeve over the message. Against all odds, today had been the best birthday he'd had in several years. Even with all the snow. 

Listening to the cheerful holiday music wafting from the shops along the street and gazing around at all the decoration, he began humming along with the tune that was playing as he made his way back to his dorm. 

_"Christmastime is here, happiness and cheer, f_ _un for all that children call their favorite time of year."_


	2. Second Day of Christmas

Kid shivered lightly as he shoved his hands farther into the pockets of his black wool pea coat, scurrying quickly down the sidewalk as he headed towards his destination: the nearest Starbucks. Classes at the university had let out early due to weather conditions and he was in dire need of a nice hot Venti-sized Peppermint mocha, with extra whipped cream and chocolate drizzle, of course. Also, according to his best friends Liz and Patty, he needed to take a break from his studies and "make some friends, maybe meet a guy for the holidays." 

So Starbucks it was. 

Coming to the building on the corner that was his goal, Kid paused with his hand on the handle, his eye twitching slightly as he forced himself to ignore the urge to correct the asymmetry and instead walk up to the counter, smiling tightly at the indigo-haired barista, the young man's thin wired frames sliding down his nose as he returned his own tired upturn of lips. 

He placed his order and after it was ready seated himself at a high table in the corner next to the window, sipping contentedly at his elixir – really, he'd been living on the chocolaty caffeinated sugar-rush-in-a-cup practically since the beginning of the semester – and gazing out at the bustling crowds passing in all directions out in the softly falling snow. He observed with absent interest the couples in particular, a longing in his ringed gold eyes as he spotted several clasped hands and brushes of shoulders, giggles hidden behind gloved hands and some belted out for all to hear, soft kisses pressed to reddened cheeks and noses and chapped lips. 

It wasn't much of a secret – at least to his group of close friends; Death knew Liz and Maka could never shut up about it – that Kid was a hopeless romantic, constantly wishing for that perfect relationship that he liked to read about in novels and fairy tales. His favorites, though, were the more forbidden ones, particularly ones about angels and demons and whatnot. He'd always fantasized being swept away by an angelic being, or possibly lured in by a seductive devil – he wasn't overly picky. 

Kid propped his chin in his palm, continuing to sip the peppermint-chocolate goodness and gaze out into the world when a gathering crowd across the way in the park caught his attention. Squinting to enhance his already immaculate vision, his narrowed eyes fell upon the reason for the congregating: in the amphitheatre of the outdoor enclosure, set up on the stage and performing in the winter wind was a group of free-lance musicians. Kid had passed by them on occasion and had wished he'd had the time and leisure to pause and listen for more than the few seconds it took him to hurry across the street, but he'd never found the chance. Deciding this was as good a time as any, he wrapped his hands tightly around his drink and glided out the doors, making his way carefully through the slush over to the park. 

When he finally approached, clapping had begun and for a moment he wondered if perhaps they were finished, but soon enough he heard the high pitch of what sounded like a violin before the piano he could see joined in, though he couldn't locate the string instrument. Excusing himself as he pushed forward to see better, his eyes widened when he realized that not only the violin sound but the beating kick drum sound as well as a snare sound were all coming from the piano, the four musicians there playing the song all on the one instrument. He was quite impressed. 

As he listening to the familiar song played at this time of year, his eyes roamed over the musicians, noting two dark chocolate brunets, a pale silver-haired albino, and what he could only describe as an unusually tanned silver-headed "albino" as they circled around the grand piano with its top completely removed, playing not only the ivory keys but the strings inside as well. Their joy was infectious, bright smiles spreading across their faces as well as the audiences 

Kid was absolutely captivated, mesmerized with the warm feeling seeping into his bones as he watched the performance. They were all vocalizing as well, their voices melding in a beautiful harmony as they sang. As they sang the chorus, one of the silver-heads, with his hair spiked all around his head and held up from his face with a sweatband, circled to face the audience and his gaze landed right on Kid, a shark-toothed smile widening his face as his voice harmonized with his friends, winking one of his impossibly crimson eyes as he ran his fingers over the keys of the piano. 

Kid was frozen in place, just staring at the musician. He was stunning, from his almost glowing sanguine irises to his warm skin, topped in a halo of white spikes. Kid wanted to laugh to himself – the musician had an aura of seraphic sweetness in his laugh, a warm angelic euphoria in his eyes as he gazed directly at the symmetry-obsessed teen, though surprisingly, the complete asymmetry of the young musician did nothing to bother the compulsory need for balance inside Kid; instead, he found himself craving to mess the balance up further. 

What had the world come to? 

Kid fought the heat rising to his cheeks that was _totally_ because of the cold and had absolutely _nothing_ to do with the seductively flirty looks being aimed at him from the young performer as they finished with their performance, the audience erupting into excited applause as the four musicians lined up alternating brunet-albino-brunet-"albino" and bowed deeply, smiling every combination of self-satisfied to obliviously cheerful to I-know-I-kick-ass-at-this-praise-the-awesome-me-bitches. The crowd began dispersing as the taller albino announced that that was their last performance for the day, wishing them all happy holidays as he wrapped an arm around the brunet in glasses with a curl standing above his head and they took off, the other brunet leaping exuberantly from the stage to fall all over another young man with his own curl in the audience, ignoring the heated profanities and tugging him on their way.  

Kid watched with longing yet again as the couples surrounding him broke off to go about the rest of their days, sighing deeply as the blush on his face remained at his wishful fantasies, sadly starring the garnet-eyed shark-toothed angel-esque musician. So lost in his imaginings that it took him a moment to register the tanned face resting on his shoulder, the soft and warm breath tickling his skin right beneath his chin before he yelped and spun away, eyes wide as he gasped in startled panic. The smirk on the musician's face was wide as he chuckled teasingly at Kid. 

Kid finally managed to return his breathing to normal. "Gods of Death, was it necessary to give me a heart attack?!" 

The young musician raised an arched brow. "Hm, I suppose not, but your reaction was pretty hilarious," he drawled, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his dark slacks. His smirk softened to a warm smile. "However, being the cool gentleman that I am, I apologize for startling you." 

Kid huffed with a pout, stuffing his own hands into his own coat pockets; however, his expression soon lightened as well as a small smile turned up his lips. "At least you have manners," he mused with a slight shake of his head, accumulated snow falling from his inky half-ringed hair. "You're performance was spectacular," he added, his smile growing. "That was a beautiful rendition of that song." 

He let his pointy-toothed grin turn slightly prideful. "Thanks. We worked on that a while." He huffed a sigh, shaking his head, before adding, "I swear, World War III erupted trying to get them to work together in practice." He snorted. "So uncool."

Kid chuckled, relating to the frustrating feeling of getting people to do things the same way. "I know what you mean," he agreed. "It's a battle of demonic proportions trying to get my friends to be aware of the symmetry of life." He rolled his eyes. "They all insist I'm crazy, but they're just too simple to understand."

The musician raised an eyebrow once again, staring pointedly at his hair.

Kid looked away dejectedly. "Yes, I know. I'm not sure what happened with my genes during development, but I agree it's atrocious to have to look at." He sighed deeply. "I'm nothing but asymmetrical trash, unworthy of life!" He felt the urge to curl into a ball and bury himself under the dirt as he pulled desperately at his hair.

Oh, the life of an obsessive-compulsive disorderly.

Gentle hands wrapped around his, tugging them gingerly out of his hair and holding them tightly. Kid looked into crimson eyes, his own slightly teary and wide. "You're not trash," the other stated firmly, squeezing his hands. "I think two-toned hair is pretty cool, and I'm the self-proclaimed King of Cool; I don't say that to just anyone."

Kid smiled timidly, letting out an airy chuckle. "Sorry. It's an awful type of OCD, needing everything balanced." He glanced up at the musician's hair, reaching up to run his fingers through the pleasantly soft locks. "Though surprisingly, your mane of wild hair doesn't bother it; Death knows  _this_ could never be tamed!"

The other chuckled, grinning playfully. "So," he drawled, tilting his head, "what's your name, kid?"

Kid paused in his petting of the other's hair, smirking smugly. "For your information, I happen to be a third year university student. I'm not a kid." He paused, pretending to realize his next statement as he looked up at the other. "Though, I  _am_  a Kid." He laughed. "How did you know?"

The confused expression on the young albino's face was priceless. "So… Your name's Kid?"

Said young man nodded in affirmation. "What's yours, handsome?" He winked playfully.

That shark-toothed smirk was back. He backed up and bowed, holding one of Kid's hands. "Soul Eater."

Kid giggled at the unusual name. It seemed fitting for this angel to be a demon, too. "Nice to meet you, Soul." He bit his lip, looking up at the grey clouds still releasing snow. "Would you like to grab a coffee and head back to my place?" he asked, looking at Soul. "We probably don't want to spend too much more time in this weather."

Soul smiled and nodded, wrapping an arm around Kid's waist and pulling him to the exit of the park. "Sounds perfect," he agreed.

As they made their way back to the Starbucks Kid had originally come from, to both pick up a drink for Soul and replace the one Kid had finished during the performance, he couldn't help but notice that Soul's hair still seemed to glow like a halo against the snow. He smile to himself, leaning into the warm chest of the albino, thinking that perhaps he'd finally found that demon-angel being he'd been hoping for.

Liz and Maka were going to flip when they heard about this.

_"Angels we have heard on high sweetly singing o'er the plains, and the mountains in reply echoing their joyous strains: Gloria! In excelsis Deo! Gloria! In excelsis Deo!"_


	3. Third Day of Christmas

Matthew sighed as he leaned against Francis, his face flushed from the maple-laced Peppermint schnapps he'd been sipping, giggling drunkenly. He hiccupped, smiling a wide goofy smile as he turned to look up at his Frenchman, who was gazing at the tipsy Canadian with an amused grin. "I-I really sh'd –" Another hiccup "– go, Francis. I need –" Yet another hiccup "– to get home." 

Francis simply cocked a plucked eyebrow, leaning against the armrest of the couch and propping his fist against his chin. " _Je ne sais pas, mon cher,_ " he mused, smiling seductively. "It wouldn't be very courteous of me to make you go home in this weather." 

Matthew giggled again as Francis pulled him closer, sloshing some of his drink over his hand. "Bu' I 'a-'ave w'rk t' –" Hiccup "– t'do!" he protested, attempting to stand. 

The Frenchman laughed along with his Canadian, going to steady him when he wobbled away from the couch. " _Mais mon cher!_ _Il fait très froid!_ " He caught his precious Mathieuas he collapsed against the coffee table, childish giggles still falling from his lips. "Perhaps you should stay, to keep warm." 

The tipsy Canadian pushed himself away from the warm arms of his Frenchman, staggering away towards the door. "I'll be fiiiiiiiine," he reassured with a slur. "I've go' a coat an' ev'rythin'!" 

Francis shook his head as he followed the young man, attempting to keep a straight face at his Canadian's adorable drunken antics. Needless to say, it wasn't working; his grin was wide. " _Mais, cher!_ I'll never forgive myself if you get sick." He grabbed the giggling tipsy blond around the waist, pulling him gently back to his chest. "It's too cold out right now," he purred into Mathieu's ear, feeling the pleasured shiver that ran up the smaller blond's spine. "Why don't you spend the night here with me, and I'll take you to work tomorrow?" 

Matthew mewled as his Frenchman's hands ran suggestively up under his shirt, the slight stubble on his chin tickling the Canadian's cheek as he pressed light kisses against the pale neck. "Hm," he moaned, his dizzy mind caving to the pleasure beginning to course through him. "I-I s'pose it w'ldn't hurt," he finally relented, turning in Francis's arms to wrap his around his Frenchman's neck, pulling their faces closer and pressing their lips together. 

It was too cold out anyways. 

_"I ought to say no, no, no, sir (Mind if I move in closer?) At least I'm gonna say that I tried (What's the sense in hurting my pride?) I really can't stay (Baby don't hold out)_

_Ah, but it's cold outside"_


	4. Fourth Day of Christmas

Grand chandeliers hung from the tall ceilings of the mall, strung with thick red velvet ribbons and dripping with garland and holly and bells and other little decorations. The same garland was wrapped around each and every column, along the tops of shops and threaded through with flashing lights in all different colors. A towering Christmas tree stood proudly in the center of the building, surrounded by the food court and the jewelry stores. The cacophonous chatter from all the families, friends and couples milling about was reflective of the lights: bright, cheerful, and exuding gaiety. 

Rin wanted to die. God, how he hated the holidays. 

The redhead let out a heavy sigh, rolling his crimson eyes to the bright ceiling and rubbing his face, pulling hopelessly on his cheek as he followed behind his silver-haired junior, light giggles falling from the boy's lips and his ice blue eyes widening at all the displays and décor. Aiichirou had been begging him to hang out at the new shopping centre for the past couple of weeks, and while he hated most human interaction, he knew it was the least he could do to show he appreciated the boy's friendship. 

It was absolutely _not_ because he fancied said boy, or that the absolutely adorable puppy eyes same said boy pulled on him actually ripped at his heart. 

Grumbling to himself, the redhead shifted the bags on his arms to attempt to return circulation to his wrists. Ai had  convinced him to also do some Christmas shopping with him while they were exploring and the boy had insisted on getting the biggest things he could find for all his friends. Rin, unfortunately, was given the part of pack mule while the hyper boy danced ahead, humming to the songs wafting through the air. 

"Oh! Rin! Rin!" 

Rin looked up at his name, raising an eyebrow. "What?" 

Ai stopped, rocking back on his heels as he waited for his friend. He giggled as the redhead wobbled forward, the colorful bags on his arms swaying and looking painfully heavy. The boy frowned that he'd practically left the lifting to Rin, but the redhead had insisted, so he shook it from his mind. He smiled instead; while he could be difficult to drag along, Rin always made sure Ai was happy. "Well, there's only one more place I'd like to visit," he said, glancing over in the direction of the store before turning back to Rin, "but I'm also hungry." His grumbling stomach made itself known at that time, emphasizing his statement. He laughed. 

Rin chuckled as well, shifting the bags again. "Sure." He looked towards the food court. "I'll go grab us a table or something and wait for you, yeah?" He glanced back over at the boy with a smirk. "You'll be able to carry _one_ bag, right?" 

Ai laughed again, lightly blushing in slight guilt. "I think I'll manage," he giggled. "I'll meet you when I'm done." Turning on his heel, he just caught Rin's nod before taking off towards his destination. He was happy that Rin had suggested splitting. The gift he had left to get was for Rin himself, and he'd had it reserved for the last week and a half. He'd hoped to also confess the bit of a crush he'd had on the redhead at the same time, so he wanted the surprise to be perfect. 

When he was sure Rin was across the court, Ai took a deep breath, turning to face the entrance of the Kay® Jewelers store, blushing profusely as he ran in. He'd last come in with Rin's friend Makoto to help him decide on an engagement ring for Haru – he'd proudly squealed like a teenage girl at the news that Mako was going to propose – and in looking through the cases, he'd come across a delicate locket with a shark charm hanging from the bottom. It was the charm that caught his attention, as Rin was referred to as a shark among his group of friends, and he knew that as masculine as Rin tried to be, the guy was a sap for sentimental romance. 

Smiling at the girl at the counter, Ai told her of the reservation and provided the required information for picking it up, watching as she brought out a merrily wrapped box and set it carefully inside a nondescript bag, per his request. She smiled and wished him luck and a "Merry Christmas!" as he thanked her and walked out with a small wave, hugging the bag to his chest as he headed back to the food court. He found the redhead staring up into space, quietly humming with the faint melody playing from the invisible speakers. 

"I'm back, Rin!" he called, skipping to seat himself beside the redhead and placing his last gift within the others, making sure it was secure and unnoticeable. 

Rin definitely _didn't_ jump slightly when Ai announced his return, and he definitely _wasn't_ blushing at the boy's bright smile and sparkling eyes trained solely on him as he tucked a smaller bag behind one of the bigger ones, cutely biting his lip. Rin groaned internally, outwardly snorting. "Took you long enough," he muttered with a smirk. "I was about to eat without you and leave the gifts all by themselves." He stood with a stretch. "Now that you're back, I'm gonna go ahead and get us food." 

Ai nodded and smiled, watching the redhead walk off to stand in line. 

When he returned, they both immediately attacked their plates, practically shoveling the food into their mouths as they conversed lightly about the weather, the season, and their friend's upcoming proposal. They both agreed that it'd taken _way_ too long for the gentle giant to work up the nerves to finally make it official, seeing as how the two had been friends long enough they were pretty much married already, but they were both happy for them. 

As they finished their food, Ai took the trash and dumped it as Rin gathered his spoils, the silver-haired boy scooping up his special gift for the redhead before said redhead had the chance to pay too much mind to it. They left the bustling mall and Rin carefully placed Ai's presents in the back of his car, opening the door for the boy before heading to his seat behind the wheel. 

Getting back to Ai's house, Rin helped carry the gifts inside to be properly wrapped, listening absently as the silver-haired boy chatted happily as he went about collecting the necessary materials for wrapping. 

Once all the gifts were decked in green, red and gold paper and tied with gaudy silver, blue, gold and red ribbon, and the room was sprinkled with the same color glitter, wasted paper from a mini wrapping battle piled in the middle of the carpet, Rin and Ai collapsed on the couch, giggling and laughing breathlessly from the impromptu tickle war the redhead had initiated when Ai proved that he was, indeed, the better wrapper. Letting a peaceful silence settle over them, Ai leaned contentedly into Rin, blushing furiously when Rin pulled him closer, failing to see the redhead's own blush that rivaled his hair and eyes. 

Deciding he'd stalled enough, Ai coughed nervously, tugging on his sleeves. "U-Um, Rin," he started, "I-I have something for you!" Jumping up quickly, he ran over to retrieve the little bag he'd stashed away for that moment. Looking at Rin's questioning gaze, he shifted nervously. 

"I-I know it's not technically Christmas yet," he stuttered, holding the bag out as he sat back down, "but I-I decided I didn't want to wait that long." 

Rin raised an eyebrow, gently taking the bag from the boy and peering into the tissue paper. "Wait that long for what?" he inquired, pulling the paper out and reaching in the bag, pulling out a small box. He flushed at the insignia on the front, wondering just why Ai had gotten him something from a _jewelry store._  

Ai twisted his hands together. "W-Well…" He took a deep breath. "I was with Makoto the other day when he was picking out Haru's ring, and I saw that – " he gestured to the box as Rin opened it "– and it made me think of you, so I immediately got it." 

Rin was stunned into silence. The chain was a delicate silver, thin but sturdy. The locket was a small oval shape with a flare of filigree on it, gold embossed in the silver. What had him flushing even deeper was the little shark on the bottom, the teeth sparkling diamonds and the body set with a sapphire. He looked over at Ai, the boy biting his lip in nervousness and almost shaking. 

Ai looked away at Rin's piercing gaze. "I-I really like you, Rin," he muttered, feeling the tears in his eyes at the thought of imminent rejection. "I-I've liked you for a while. I just wanted to let you know, and when I saw the locket, it gave me a way to tell you. I-I thought that if, maybe, the feeling was returned, we could use the locket." At this point, Ai was proud of himself for not completely passing out, though he wouldn't be against a hole in the floor opening up and swallowing him. 

On the other end of the spectrum, Rin was grinning like an idiot. He couldn't believe the sweet boy that had followed him around and praised him for the littlest achievements in his life could actually _like_ him. This had to have been the happiest Christmas he'd ever had. The redhead shifted, pulling the chain out of the box and letting it fall into his lap as he hooked it around his neck. "I love it, Ai," he murmured, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the boy and giving a small smile. 

As Ai looked up in shock and elation, Rin was right up in his face, capturing his lips in a sweet kiss. They both were smiling and pressing against the other, Ai sliding comfortably into Rin's lap as the moment heated up. 

"This has to be the happiest holiday I've ever had, Ai," Rin breathed against swollen lips, running his hands through soft silver strands. 

Ai giggled. "And a holly, jolly Christmas to you, too, Rin." 

_"Have a holly, jolly Christmas, and in case you didn't hear: oh, by golly, have a holly, jolly Christmas this year."_


	5. Fifth Day of Christmas

Ronald scrutinized the cardboard boxes in front of him, hands on his hips and tongue peeking out the side of his mouth as he looked between it and the walls around him. The flat he shared with his boyfriend, his boyfriend's ex, and his boyfriend's ex's brother was still pretty barren and Christmas was a week away. The little cardboard boxes were home to the decorations that should've been up the week before, the tinsel and holly and steamers of red and gold overflowing around the edges, other baubles and knickknacks resting carefully in the center. The two-toned-headed student frowned to himself. 

He was going to need some Christmas music if he was going to be in the proper mood for decorating. 

Grinning to himself, Ronald skipped around the boxes and went into the living area, heading for the state-of-the-art sound system Sebastian had insisted on buying earlier that year. He quickly flipped through the various CDs laying round, searching for his favorites and inserting them in the disk slots, turning the volume up to appropriately play through the flat as he hummed along with the first song on his preferred Straight No Chaser CD. Ronald padded back over to the boxes, crouching down to dig through them and sort the decorations accordingly to commence the process of turning the dull, white walls into cheery works of art. 

He'd gotten through a box and a half – all the garland now strung along the tops of the windows and cabinets and the tinsel tucked around the displays of candelabras Claude had put up – when the front door swung open, letting in Ronald's slightly disheveled-looking boyfriend, the brunet's hair windswept and glasses slightly skewed. 

Ronald grinned. "Hey, Will~!" he greeted, pulling out a couple of wreathes to hang on the doors. 

William looked up and smiled at the boy, shrugging off his coat. "Good afternoon, Ronald," he called back. He paused at the music, looking over to see the dual-toned-haired young man lifting the large wreathes over his shoulders. "What are you doing?" 

"What's it look like I'm doing?" Ronald snorted. "I'm decking the halls. Sebastian's a lazy bum, by the way," he added, rolling his eyes. "Git said he'd decorate last week, but nooooo~" 

William snorted in agreement, heading to the kitchen. "Well, it would've been simply too much for him to actually do what he planned," William muttered, picking up a small box of snowmen, reindeer and Santa Claus figurines and situating them around the counters and table. "How long have you been decorating?" 

Ronald sniffed, adjusting one wreathe on the front door as he though. "Eh, about a CD and a half, now?" he replied uncertainly, listening to the music. "We're on TSO now, so yeah. 'Bout a CD and a half." 

William hummed in acknowledgement, helping Ronald to finish with the decorating. They moved about the house skillfully, both singing and humming along to the festive tunes rolling through the air, sometimes stopping to air guitar with a particularly fun song. They laughed and danced about as lights were strung, Claude walking in a couple hours later to find them wrestling the large tree from the attic and joining them in getting it set up. 

"I thought Seb said he was going to do this," Claude huffed, adjusting his thin frames after being hit in the face with the tree as it wobbled. "It's always his job to decorate for the holidays." 

William and Ronald just shrugged as they struggled with the tree. "I thought he'd said that, too," Ronald grumbled, "but that was last week and Christmas is next and I got impatient." 

Just then, the front door swung open again to reveal said supposed decorator, an estimated twenty bags hanging from his arms, a Santa hat on his black hair, and eyes shining wildly. "Sorry I'm late~" he shouted, stumbling in and letting most of the bags fall on the floor in the foyer. "Traffic was a bitch." 

Three pairs of unamused eyes, two sets of green-gold and one pure gold, trained on him, three sets of arms crossing over three chests as he was glared at. Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "What?" Their silence was unnerving as he slunk to the kitchen with his bags. 

Claude broke first, shaking his head as he smirked at his brother. "Only _you_ could manage to inadvertently make your friends do you work of their own accord," he mused. "We all thought you were the one who was going to decorate, but no. You were out shopping instead." 

Sebastian grinned evilly, returning to pulling his spoils out of the bags as the other three continued to fight with the tree, eventually getting it erect and beginning to hang the baubles on the branches. "I'm just one hell of a manipulator." 

_"Deck the halls with_ _boughs_ _of holly_ _(Fa la la la la la la la la) Tis_ _the season_ _to be_ _jolly_ _(Fa la la la la la la la la)"_


	6. Sixth Day of Christmas

Soft light cascaded through the window, falling upon the sleeping face of Lovino and causing him to stir. Frowning and rolling over, the Italian blinked groggily at the clock on his bedside table, seeing that it was now late morning, and groaned, burying his face back into the pillows and intending to fall back asleep. 

"Looovi~ _Buenos días, mi pequeño tomate~_ " 

Or not. 

Whining as he rolled over once again, he came face to chest with the idiotic Spaniard he called his husband, opening one jade-laced chocolate eye to glare half-heartedly and tiredly at the smiling face of Antonio. "No." 

Laughing lightly, the Spaniard leaned down and nuzzled into the auburn hair of his partner, wrapping his muscled arms around Lovino's slighter frame. "Guess what~" he cooed, pressing sweet kisses into the crook of his Italian's lightly tanned neck. 

Lovino grumbled, wriggling in Antonio's embrace in a bid to escape the ticklish kisses on his throat. "Stop that, _bastardo,_ " he admonished. "And what exactly am I supposed to guess?" 

The Spaniard simply chuckled, tightening his hold on his husband. He leaned down, running his lips over the shell of his Lovi's ear, letting his warm breath ghost over it and feeling the shivers it sent down Lovi's spine. "It's snowing, _mi tomate,_ " he purred with a grin. "Pretty heavily, too~ I don't think we're gonna be able to go out today~" 

Lovino froze at that, yanking himself out of Tonio's warm arms and glaring out the large glass doors that lead to the veranda from their room. Large flakes were falling from the grey clouds in the sky, the horizon just barely discernable through the curtain of white that was piling around the railing of the porch in mounds that had to have already been knee-high. The Italian frowned. " _Chigi!_ And I was supposed to meet with Feli today!" He groaned. "I can't keep putting that off!" 

Antonio rubbed his husband's back, only half-listening to the irate mumblings falling quietly from Lovino's lips. Distracted by said lips, the Spaniard leaned forward, silencing Lovi with an abrupt lip-lock and smiling when his little Italian pulled back sputtering and incoherent. He caressed cheeks that had quickly taken on the same hue as their favorite and beloved tomatoes, cupping Lovino's flushed face and smiling directly into his eyes as he leaned in again. 

Lovino's brain had effectively gone to mush as Antonio pressed their lips together, stealing his breath with every passionate kiss. Letting his annoyed frustrations fall away, the Italian pressed back into his husband's chest, bringing a hand up to tangle in his Spaniard's dark chocolate curls as he felt Antonio's hands ghosting over his chest, fluttering teasingly over his sensitive skin. He quickly deepened their kiss, opening his mouth to invite his husband in, tongues dancing  in practiced ease as he was gently laid back, Antonio crawling up to straddle him. 

Breaking from the intense and passionate lip-lock, Lovino mewled as Antonio began nipping and licking down his neck and over his collarbone, both of his hands tangling in the soft brunet locks and his legs hooking over the Spaniard's hips.

Antonio pulled back and gazed down at his Italian with a loving smile, lust burning in his emerald irises as he panted lightly. "You still want to see Feli today?" 

The Italian returned the look with a smirk of his own. "I think Feli can wait," he breathed, pulling his husband back down for another kiss. 

Outside, the snow continued falling gently, blissfully unaware of the rising temperature of the shared bedroom it surrounded.

_"Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful and since we have no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow."_


	7. Seventh Day of Christmas

Makoto fidgeted nervously in the hard chair at the small table in the corner of the coffee shop, sipping timidly at his now lukewarm latte as Nagisa ranted and raved about something or other that he and Rei had recently done, letting his hand fall into his lap and nonchalantly run over his pocket, subconsciously making sure the little box was still there. It was silly, as he'd checked just ten seconds previously, but he couldn't help it. He wanted everything to turn out perfectly. 

Haruka glanced over at his boyfriend, noticing the slight shaking of his large hands and frowning internally. Makoto had been out of it all day, constantly zoning out to his own world and seeming to check his pockets. Did he think he'd forgotten something? _Had_ he forgotten something and decided  it wasn't worth dragging Haru back home to get it? Well, that wouldn't do. 

"Ne, are you guys even listening to me?" 

Both Makoto and Haruka glanced over at their blond friend, the former jumping slightly in guilt as he hadn't been listening, the latter simply turning his normal apathetic gaze towards the other couple at the table. Makoto chuckled, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry, Nagisa," he apologized. "Guess we're just a bit… distracted." 

Nagisa leaned back into Rei, gazing knowingly at the taller dirty blond as his hand once again ghosted over his pants. He smiled widely, feigning obliviousness as he nudged the blue-haired man and stood. "No worries, Mako-chan." He patted Makoto's head, quickly encasing Haru in a hug before dancing towards the door, Rei bidding the others a good night as he caught up with his hyper husband. "We've got somewhere to be anyways." He glanced out the windows of the coffee shop, watching as the grey clouds gathered, the sun setting behind them. "Ne, you think it'll snow for Christmas?" he wondered, grinning as he turned away. "A white Christmas would be spectacular!"

Makoto and Haruka watched as the couple left, Nagisa waving enthusiastically as they rounded the corner and disappeared out of sight. Makoto sighed, letting his own waving hand fall back to his leg and rub against his pocket yet again. 

"Did you forget something?" 

Makoto's swiveled around, green eyes wide in panic as he forcibly smiled at his boyfriend. "N-Not at all," he stuttered. 

Haruka just stared at Makoto, blinking owlishly. 

Makoto chuckled, scratching the back of his head of messy hair. "A-Are you ready to go?" he asked suddenly.

Haruka blinked again, standing up in lieu of an actual response, heading over to the trash and tossing his empty cup as Makoto followed suit. He waited at the door, watching impassively as his boyfriend walked out the door into the freezing wind, turning to wait for his blue-eyed partner. Haruka wrapped his scarf tightly around his neck, walking out after Makoto and standing next to him. 

Makoto looked down at Haru, grinning sweetly. "Anywhere in particular you want to go?" 

Haruka looked up at Makoto, blinking yet again. 

Makoto laughed, grabbing the dark-haired man's and pulling him along. The cerulean irises shimmered brightly in the fading light, telling him almost telepathically that Haru didn't mind where they ended up as long as they ended up there together. 

The streets were bustling with the end of the workday crowds, the lamplights just beginning to light up as people made their ways to and fro, heading home, out to eat or simply wandering the paths, hand in hand with significant others and friends or in large groups laughing and joking around. The two young men made their own ways down the sidewalks, a comfortable and familiar silence between them as they meandered aimlessly. The sun had officially disappeared behind the horizon and the temperature had dropped another couple of degrees. 

The wandering couple eventually wandered into the park down around the corner, walking down the frozen paths and towards the grand pond in the center. They stood side by side, gazing out over the water as light snowflakes cascaded around them. 

Makoto glanced over at his boyfriend, sliding a hand into his pocket and gripping the small velvet box in his large hand. Haruka noticed him shift and turned towards him, gazing with a question burning in his blue eyes. Makoto took a deep breath and looked back out over the scene before him. "I think Nagisa may get that white Christmas after all," he mused, smiling back at Haru. "But I think it's always more special when you have someone to spend it with."

Haruka blinked, letting his eyes visibly widen and his eyebrows shoot up to his hairline as Makoto knelt down, situating himself on the cold ground on one knee and grabbing his hand, placing a small black velvet box in his hand. 

Makoto smiled up at Haruka, attempting to calm his nerves as he took in the tangible shock on his hopefully-soon-to-be-fiancé. "Would you like to spend every white Christmas with me, Haru-chan?" 

Haruka stared down at Makoto, ceasing his breathing and simply gazing disbelieving into emerald green eyes full of love, adoration, hope and a slight bit of anxiety. He let a genuine, tender smile cross his face as he let Makoto pull the delicate titanium ring out of the box and slip it on his finger. The designs on the ring were reminiscent of waves, engraved in a sapphire blue in the silver of the metal. He moved his hands forward, cupping Makoto's face gingerly. "I thought I told you to drop the '-chan'," he muttered, pulling the taller man up from his kneeling position and into a sweet kiss.

The newly engaged couple remained in each other's embrace, the gently falling snow piling up around them and in their hair as they smiled into their kiss, ignoring the biting wind and simply hanging on to one another as the bright crystals began sticking to every surface around them. 

It seemed the Christmas would indeed be white. 

_"May your days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmases be white."_


	8. Eighth Day of Christmas

"Yo, little master! I got a surprise for you!" 

Roderich looked up from the score in his hand and the music sheets he was filling with black ink, rewriting all the parts from the score separately so that they could be more easily read and so that he could hand them out. His pale hands were stained with the substance and there were even some smears on his flushed cheeks, his glasses skewed and his normally critically-done hair mussed and streaked with ink from him running his hands through it. 

Gilbert blinked at the state of his Austrian, taking in the giant purple hoodie swathing his body in warmness, the ends of the sleeves dyed with the ink. His jean-clad legs were curled under him and sheets of blank music paper were scattered around him on the floor and couch. Gilbert pursed his lips as Roderich gazed evenly at him. "That's _the hoodie_ ," he stated. "What's wrong, little master?" Roderich was always dressed to the nines in a suit, or at least a waistcoat and slacks; he only ever wore his hoodie for two reasons: either he was _majorly_ stressed… 

… or Gilbert had fucked up. 

The albino cautiously inched forward towards his boyfriend, waiting for the impending nagging and complaining and yelling that was sure to ensue. He cheered internally when he managed to make it to the couch to seat his awesome self next to Roderich, his little yellow chick Gilbird chirping merrily on his head as his Austrian calmly set the score in his hand on the coffee table in front of him before turning to face his self-proclaimed Prussian boyfriend. 

"Little master?" 

Roderich sighed deeply, rubbing his amethyst eyes beneath his delicate frames as he slumped over into Gilbert, burying his face in the crook of the snow-white neck and curling into the warm side of his boyfriend. "I never thought I'd say this," the Austrian mumbled, "but I think throwing last-minute concertos together is going to be the death of me." 

Gilbert blinked again, letting Gilbird hop into his hand and setting the yellow canary in his lap. Stress it was, then. He laughed lightly, his signature _kesesese_ snicker filling the small living area. He ran his hands through the brunet strands of his Austrian's hair, avoiding the stray curl out of habit. "Good job, little master. The Awesome Me would never let something so unawesome best me!" 

Roderich rolled his eyes, snorting haughtily and leaning away to look into Gilbert's crimson eyes, the sanguine irises filled with a light mirth. "Indeed," he agreed with a smirk. "How could something such as composing best one who lost the war before it began?" 

Gilbert pouted. "Hey! I can compose just fine!" He stuck his tongue out childishly, prompting an arched eyebrow from his boyfriend. 

Roderich smiled at that and leaned forward, sliding his own tongue along Gilbert's before pushing it into the albino's mouth and capturing the surprised man in a hot kiss, pushing him back into the cushions of the sofa and climbing on top of him as Gilbert responded, the East German's strong arms wrapping around his waist and tugging him closer, the ink on his hands staining the silvery strands of hair running through his fingers. 

When he decided he'd held his breath for long enough, Roderich gently pushed Gilbert back, giggling at the dazed and half-lidded expression on his face before pecking him once more on his now-swollen lips and sliding onto the cushion next to him. "So," he gasped airily, laying his legs over Gilbert's lap and propping his chin on his knees, "what was that surprise you had for me?" 

The albino blinked slowly, trying to think through the haze of desire that had built up at the unexpected – but _extremely_ welcomed and _totally_ awesome – snogging, running his own hand through his hair as he bit his lip in concentration. "Hm…? Oh, yeah!" He suddenly jumped up, going over to the backpack he'd dropped by the armchair across the room when he'd noticed _the hoodie_ and rifling through it for his prize. Surfacing a moment later, he grinned widely and thrust the small, thin pristine white envelope at his boyfriend, reclaiming his spot on the couch. 

Roderich gingerly took the envelope, raising a brow at Gilbert as he opened it. He looked down at it as he pulled the contents out, shaking his head at his overly enthusiastic and heaving a sigh. 

And then he froze. 

He stared disbelieving at the items in his hand, his eyes running their length over and over as he attempted to process what he was holding and unable to wrap his head around it. 

Tickets.

Tickets for _that_ night.   

Tickets for _that_ night's _Trans-Siberian Orchestra_ concert, their final performance of their _Lost Christmas Eve_ show. 

_Front. Row. Seats._  

Roderich's mouth fell open in shock and he just sat there, breathing steadily as he stared down at the tickets. He'd been going on and _on_ about them – they were one of his favorite groups, especially at that time of year. While he enjoyed a good classical symphony orchestra, and even more performing inor conducting one, he'd always loved the style and sound of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra; the mix of classical instruments with electric guitars and violins and synths gave off a mystical feel, one that he loved to lose himself in. They always had the most spectacular visuals, as well. Their songs also told a story, and while the story part tended to put many to sleep, there was no denying the entrancement of the music. 

The Austrian finally pulled himself together long enough to look over at his boyfriend, who'd been watching his reaction with a bright smile on his face. He'd talked to Gilbert about wanting to go, but tickets to their concerts were extremely expensive, and the albino hadn't really let on one way or another that something like that was going to happen, at least that year. In fact, Gilbert had brushed off the topic many times, giving off an aura of disinterest, claiming that they weren't "all that awesome" and therefore he didn't want to bother. 

Well then. "G-Gilbert…" Roderich was practically speechless. "Wh-What…? H-How…? Why…?" He took a deep breath, steadying his surprise. "I-I thought you didn't…?" 

The albino laughed. "I knew how much you wanted to go, little master; I just wanted it to be a surprise." He looked at Roderich with sparkling eyes. "It's their last performance of your favorite show, anyway. What kind of unawesome person would I be if I didn't bring my totally awesome boyfriend to see it?" 

Roderich opened and closed his mouth several times, searching for words that wouldn't come before giving up and throwing his arms around Gilbert. "Thank you so much, Gil!" he exclaimed, burrowing into the man's side and looking back at the tickets. "This is wonderful. I can't believe I didn't see this coming." He grinned up at his albino, leaning in to kiss him deeply once more. 

Breaking from it a moment later, Gilbert nuzzled his face into the dark chocolate locks of his Austrian, wrapping his arms tightly around his slightly smaller frame. "I'd ordered them about two weeks ago, but they just came like, three days ago." He shrugged. "I thought it'd be cool to see your reaction getting them today." Leaning into the couch and tugging Roderich onto his lap, he smiled deviously. "I hope you didn't have anything planned for tonight, little master." 

Roderich chuckled, leaning into Gilbert. "Nothing more than getting this score written out," he replied, looking at his inked hands and the now-black cuffs of his purple hoodie. He huffed, frowning. "These stains are going to be murder to remove," he complained. 

Gilbert just rubbed his back, knowing better than to point out that it was Roderich himself that had put them there. He looked at them and blurted out his thought anyway. "Well, you're the one who didn't push his sleeves up," he muttered, pecking the Austrian on his lips when he turned to glare. "But anyways, it does give the hoodie more character that way. Battle scars from the war with the score." He paused, mulling over his latest words before grinning madly. " _Kesesese!_ How awesome does _that_ sound?! _The War with the Score._ Only the Awesome Me could've come up with something that amazingly awesome!"

Roderich just rolled his eyes, grinning despite himself. "Whatever you say, moron." 

. . . 

The stadium was packed full that night, thousands of bodies pressed together as they milled and shuffled about waiting for the show to start. Roderich and Gilbert stood on the ground floor, unwilling to sit in their excitement until things began, and because they had to shout slightly to be heard over the din of the place, they mutually decided to remain silent, simply gazing around at the magnificent stage setting. A pit-like area was situated in the back left corner, housing the state's Philharmonic Orchestra that would be helping out.  Platforms were situated throughout the arena for the performers, and lighting rigging was set up around the stage for pyrotechnics and strobes. 

And the show began. 

It was all quite breathtaking, the melodies winding together throughout the songs and the musicians on the stage swaying as they played, running across the platforms and through the audience as they told the timeless story. Roderich had to admit that the story itself lacked a bit in enthusiasm, being more of a soft murmured hum that easily could've put him to sleep. He was actually mildly surprised that Gilbert had been so attentive the entire time, smiling brightly and gazing wide-eyed up at the performers in front of him. 

It was a good fifteen minutes after the show had ended before Roderich and Gilbert were outside again, meandering down the snow-covered sidewalks to enjoy the cold, sweet icy air before heading back to their car. The downtown area was lit with festively colored lights of green, red, yellow, blue, and softly glowing white, buildings wrapped and strung with garland and wreathes, cheerful music wafting through the air. 

Roderich shivered in the wind, pulling his deep purple pea coat closer around himself and leaning into the warmness emanating from his jovial boyfriend, the albino filling the silence of their own little bubble with mindless chatter about something or other and his "awesome self." The Austrian just smiled absently and nodded every now and then, lost to fantasies about the romanticism of the atmosphere. Not that he'd ever admit he was such a sap. 

"Hey, little master?" 

Roderich looked up at his silly nickname, concern creasing his brow at the nervousness he could hear in the usually arrogant albino. The self-proclaimed Prussian had stopped walking a few feet back and had started to shift uncomfortably, biting his lip. The Austrian frowned. "What's wrong, Gil? Are you okay?" 

Gilbert stared into his boyfriend's amethyst eyes, full of worry for his unusual behavior. He forced a light laugh, rubbing the back of his head as he waddled to catch up with Roderich. "The Awesome Me is always fine! But…" He trailed off and looked away, a blush permeating his cheeks. 

Roderich raised an eyebrow. "But…?" he prompted. 

Gilbert sighed, reaching into his pocket. "But," he continued, dragging out the vowel, "I don't think the Awesome Me knows how to do 'romantic' very well." With that, he dropped to one knee. "I just can't think of a better moment than now, though." 

Roderich squeaked in shock when Gilbert held up a silver band, plain, with no jewel or even design, yet elegant in its simplicity nonetheless, quite like Roderich himself. The metal shimmered under the soft glow of the lights from the building next to them and the streetlamp, and Roderich's hand found its way to cover his dropped jaw. He could vaguely hear the shouts and exclamations of the passersby, the collective "aww"s and cooing from a group of females, and the disgusted and derisive snorts of those opposed to their same-sex coupling. None of them mattered; the Austrian's focus was solely on the man kneeling before him. 

He watched as Gilbert's face split into a sheepish grin. "What do you say, little master? Will you marry me?" 

Roderich answered the only way his mind would let him: he dropped to his own knees and tackled Gilbert into a tight embrace, burying his face in his albino's shoulder. "Of course, you moron." He pulled back and smiled, tears beginning to run down his cheeks as he pressed their mouths together. "Took you long enough." 

In the distance, bells tolled the late hour, singing a carol for the couple and filling the night air with a chiming melody. 

_"Gaily they ring while people sing songs of good cheer; Christmas is here."_


	9. Ninth Day of Christmas

Claude stood back in the foyer of the flat, surveying the set up for the Christmas party he and Sebastian threw every year right before the day. They'd been bustling about the place all day preparing and now that he had a moment, he needed to make sure everything was as it should be. 

The tree was glowing contentedly in the corner next to the fireplace, the orange and yellow flames licking happily up the logs, gifts for Dirty Santa  resting beneath. The sound system filled the den with background tunes, timeless Christmas songs, some old and some new. Apple-cinnamon candles spiced up the air, the Keurig turning out cup after cup of coffee next to the pitcher of warm apple cider and the big dispensers filled with eggnog with the aroma of chocolate and mocha mixing with the candles. The counters were scattered with plates filled with snacks and platters of finger-foods, chips and dip, and candies of all sorts. Everything was in order. 

Nodding to himself, Claude tossed his violet-ebony hair out of his sweat-drenched face and made his way to his room, intent on taking a shower and freshening up before the guests and friends showed up. Seeing that he only had about half an hour, his shower was more rinsing the sweat from his body and quickly washing his hair than relaxing, and he dressed just as fast afterwards in dark jeans, a white button-down and a purple waistcoat, running a hand through his wet hair and slipping on his spectacles. Just as he walked out of the bathroom, the front door flew open and his arms were suddenly full with a small blond. 

"Claude! I missed you so much~" said blond gushed, his ice blue eyes sparkling merrily up at the man, a bright grin on his face. He snuggled into the strong chest. 

Claude huffed, rolling his eyes as he shook his head at his brother's chuckle, Sebastian hanging their coats up and a blue-haired boy walking in nervously behind him. "Aloïs, you saw me this afternoon," he sighed with a slight smile. "How could you possibly have missed me?" 

Aloïs pouted, threading his arm though his boyfriend's and pulling him to the where Sebastian and his roommate were milling about in the den, the former adding gifts under the tree. "That was _hours_ ago!" he argued childishly. 

The blue-headed boy – _Ciel,_ Claude recalled Sebastian telling him – snorted, crossing his arms with a leer. "Like, three?" he muttered. 

Aloïs ignored him. "I dislike being away from you, Claude~ Ciel's no fun, anyhow." 

"Oi!" 

Luckily, the door opened yet again to let in the other flat mates, William and Ronald fighting each other for who would get in first, arms carrying gifts of their own. They eventually stumbled in together, laughing breathlessly.

"Sorry about that," William tossed out in apology, heading to the den. "This git over here –" He playfully shoved his boyfriend into the couch with a smirk "– thought it'd be funny to race home." He began taking the wrapped gifts out of the sacks and situating them under the tree as well. 

Everyone else chuckled as the dual-tone-haired boy sputtered in indignation, each of them walking off to tend to things for the party. Sebastian dragged Ciel over to a chair and commanded him to sit and simply enjoy himself while he got drinks, and Aloïs pulled Claude to the kitchen to finish preparing the main courses of the actual dinner they were to have. William and Ronald were left to answer the door as their guests started arriving, people who ranged from close friends to classmates to colleagues and employers and their friends. 

At least thirty people showed up in the span of an hour and a half, the food disappearing faster than anyone could see and the drinks consumed in the same manner. By the time Claude and Sebastian announced "Dirty Santa", most of the attendees in the room were lightly buzzed or even bordering on outright drunk. Claude frowned at that, feeling the effects of unknown alcohol himself, but too warm and fuzzy feeling to pay it much mind. 

"Clau~de!" Aloïs's slurred voice penetrated the fuzziness of his mind as he stumbled across the room, giggling like a young boy and pulling his boyfriend to the nearest loveseat, his eggnog sloshing about. He'd lost his knee-high boots and purple jacket earlier on, and his own green waistcoat and white shirt were coming undone. "C'mon~ We gotta get good gifts this year~" 

Claude obediently followed his little blond, falling onto the seat and pulling the student onto his lap. Aloïs face was deeply flushed with intoxication, as well as Ciel's and William's and a few other people. Claude himself felt his own light flush and could see one on Sebastian's face, his inky black hair beginning to stick to his face. It seemed the only ones nowhere near tipsy were Ronald and his friend Eric, and a pair of German brothers that were there with friends of friends of classmates of either Ciel or Aloïs, he couldn't remember. 

As the guests who'd brought gifts and therefore were participating in the Dirty Santa settled around in the den, Sebastian passed around a basket for drawing numbers and simultaneously explained the rules, making sure everyone played their way. They drew and the person with the last number started – because screw number one – and then they worked backwards. Each person was also given three tickets for steals and three for another choice at a gift because there were more than the number of people participating, along with a predetermined amount of "cash" that they could use to bid on any gifts not opened. After the third steal, the person was stuck with the gifts they managed to steal. Gag gifts were interspersed within the coveted to make it more interesting and could be traded once for a coveted gift after all steals were used. Once everyone went, bidding battles started to make sure all the gifts found owners. 

The fifteen people participating claimed their seats and situated themselves after the drawing, looking around at all the gifts spread around the floor. One of the German brothers had drawn the last number, and Claude watched, sipping from his own eggnog, as the stoic blond rummaged around before surfacing with what turned out to be a set of pasta strainers. The guy didn't look overly impressed – though it was a gag gift, so that was no surprise – but the little bouncy ball of happiness next to him looked ecstatic. 

Ciel was next, picking a much larger present and opening it to discover a 36" television. After him was Ronald, who got a bartending set; then the date of one of Ciel's classmates revealed the "special gift" that Claude and Sebastian did every year, because practically everyone that attended was gay: a box full of bedroom necessities, namely condoms and lube. Everyone broke down in fits of guffaws, especially the albino German and Eric, and the poor classmate was red as the decorations on the walls as his date simply threw him suggestive looks. 

The blond German's friend was next, opening a new gaming system, which when the albino was next he promptly used a steal for it, receiving an eye roll from his fiancé. Eric went after him, opening up a pack of beer; Ciel's classmate was next, coming into possession of a new iPhone. 

Sebastian opened a coffee machine, and Eric's date Alan got some high-end cookware, which with the threatening look he threw around after it, no one was willing to take from him, not even Sebastian or Claude, and the brothers prided themselves on their culinary skills. Alan's coworker, a flamboyant redhead named Grell who Ciel knew from when he was little went after, squealing when he opened a gag set of deep red lingerie, and Grell's boyfriend, a silver-haired young man who honestly creeped Claude out slightly opened a set of knives. William ended up with gardening tools, which he immediately stowed away for his little garden. 

Aloïs was after William, drunkenly wobbling over to the dwindling pile and settling on a small one, which turned out to be more liquor, and Claude – last – opened up a laptop. 

After they'd all opened their stuff, the stealing and trading began, the rest of the gags and coveted items were revealed and dealt out, until everyone had ended up with the things they could use or wanted. About that time, Ciel and Aloïs had collapsed together and started belting out different Christmas tunes amazingly in pitch, both of them sloshing their drinks about as they swayed. The rest of the guests left were about as shitfaced as well, and an impromptu karaoke contest was born. 

At the end of the evening, Aloïs stumbled back over to Claude, who was extremely red-faced and had unbuttoned the top of his shirt. He smiled and giggled, hiccups laced throughout as he climbed onto his boyfriend. "Th-This was –" Hiccup "– the best party _ever,_ Claude~" he sang, nuzzling into the man. 

Claude chuckled with him, too intoxicated to care. He nuzzled the blond back. "Indeed it was," he agreed, his words slightly slurred. He gazed into the ice blue eyes of his blond and leaned forward, kissing the boy senseless, as every other couple decided it was snogging minute. 

When he pulled back, Aloïs giggled and slumped over, almost passing out from the intense lip-lock and breathing heavily. "Clau~de!" He only managed one more gasp for breath before he was rolling on the floor with his boyfriend. 

Claude was lost in his own drunken state with his boyfriend, just managing to hear the deep voice of the blond German and his brother's unusual laughter before he passed out next to Aloïs and his brother on the floor, much like he had last year: 

" _Bruder,_ what the hell did you put in the eggnog?" 

_"Tell me who, who spiked the eggnog? I know the culprit is here; who, who's been hiding the hooch at the Christmas party this year?"_


	10. Tenth Day of Christmas

Ludwig sat on the couch, stroking the head of light honey-brown hair of his best friend in his lap as the little Italian boy slept off the horrible hangover of the night before's Christmas party. He'd told Gilbert that it probably wasn't a good idea since they were all practically strangers to the hosts, but Feli had immediately bounced in excitement at the thought of a party and begged to go anyways. 

Ludwig could never seem to say "no" to him; it was going to be his downfall, he could feel it. 

Luckily, Feli had pretty fantastic recovery abilities, and he'd be back to flouncing about when he woke up and ate a bowl of whatever pasta concoction sounded appetizing at that particular moment. Which, the stoic German knew, could range from one specific dish to three or four at once. He sighed with a small smile. His best friend was so predictable in his antics. 

The German gazed down at the contented face of the Italian, gently stroking his cheek. It was quite sad, really, that he'd developed a bit of a crush on his best friend, especially with how carefree and flirtatious the little guy could be. He was a very hands-on, lovable person, constantly vying for some form of affection from whoever he was around at the time. Usually, that was the German himself as they were more or less inseparable, but Ludwig knew better than to think he was treated specially. 

And yet, he wanted that to change; he _wanted_ to be treated special, to be the only one Feliciano wanted affection from and to give affection, to be the one his best friend relied on and wanted around. Not that he couldn't have any other friends, of course, but Ludwig could be a bit possessive of the Italian. It was hard enough to gain friendship status what with his overly-protective older twin brother who seemed to have it out for any man with a German accent (of which Ludwig had – even thicker than Gilbert's or Roderich's) and he treasured the fact that he could be sitting where he was now with Feli. 

But he wanted _more._  

He sighed again, looking out the darkened windows to the gently falling snow. It had been snowing on and off since the fourteenth, and it if it kept up for another two days, they'd have themselves a white Christmas. Ludwig couldn't help but frown at the thought; which Christmases were supposed to be happy thoughts, but he couldn't help feeling it'd be a blue one instead.  Feli was going home to spend the holidays with Lovino and his grandpa in Italy, and yet again he'd be alone for Christmas now that Gilbert had Roderich. He wouldn't complain, though. Feli loved his family too much, and Ludwig wasn't going to make him stay just because he was lonely. 

The boy in his lap stirred, and the German looked down with a longing expression on his normally impassive face, still running his hands through the honey-colored strands. Feliciano smiled up sleepily at him, yawning and stretching as best he could. "Ve~ Good morning, Ludwig!" 

The German chuckled deeply. "It's the afternoon, Feli." 

Feliciano pouted in concentration, sitting up and sliding next to Ludwig, curling into his side. "Oh, well," he sighed, resting his head on the broad shoulder next to it. "I'm hungry, Ludwig~ Do we have pasta?" 

"Only if you haven't already eaten it all." 

Feliciano hopped up at that, skipping into the small kitchen in their shared apartment. He rifled through pots until he found the one he wanted, putting water on to boil and pulling out several boxes of varying pastas. "Oh, Ludwig~!" he called suddenly. 

The German looked up from the book he'd begun reading, turning his full attention on the little Italian. "Yes, Feli?" 

"Francis and Matthew are hosting a Christmas party later this evening, and there's going to be more karaoke!" he gushed, stirring his noodles of choice into the water. "They want us to come and participate!" 

Ludwig set the book down, heading into the kitchen to wipe down the counters around the stove as Feli began on the sauces for the pasta. "Do you want to go, Feli?" 

"Of course~!" 

"Then I guess we'll be there later tonight." 

Feliciano threw his arms around Ludwig, burying his face in the German's chest. Ludwig promptly flushed a deep red. "Oh, thank you, Ludwig~ Ve, you're the best~" 

Ludwig pushed the Italian back, encouraging him to tend to the food. "Anything for you Feli," he said nonchalantly, walking back to the couch. 

Anything, indeed. 

. . . 

The beer in his hand was almost room temperature as Ludwig, watched the festivities of the party. At least Gilbert hadn't decided to spike the punch again; according to him, Roderich had gone on a "pretty unawesome bitching rant" when they'd left the previous Christmas party, totally chewing him out about it. Ludwig simply threw him a look that said he got what he deserved. 

He sipped from his drink carefully as he watched Feli converse with his brother and Antonio on the couch, simultaneously seeing out of the corner of his eye Matthew and Francis setting up the karaoke. They were all to be Christmas songs, to "keep with the holiday spirit", as the Frenchman had claimed, and unfortunately for him, everyone had to participate. 

It's not that Ludwig couldn't sing, he just usually preferred not to do so; however, he knew Feli would be disappointed if he didn't, so he'd resigned himself to choosing a song and performing. Luckily, half the attendees were drunk anyway; he was quite worried about Arthur across the room, who seemed to be already shitfaced – low tolerance, indeed – and hanging onto Matthew. The poor young blond was doing an alright time fending off his drunken advances, though, and everyone knew he was simply mistaking him for his brother. 

Finally, the time had come, and Ludwig reluctantly shuffled into the living room along with all the other guests, seating himself on one of the couches and grunting when Feliciano hopped over into his lap. Francis announced that they could choose their own song, or if they didn't have one in mind, they could have one assigned to them. A basket then went around and they drew numbers for who would perform and in what order. Out of twenty people, Ludwig drew last. 

He found he enjoyed listening to all his friends sing and perform, whether they could actually sing or not. He was surprised how much emotion some of them brought out: Arthur, even completely drunk, could sing better than any of them and his performance of Josh Groban's version of _I'll Be Home For Christmas_ actually brought tears to some eyes. 

Eventually, it was his turn, and he made his way to the center of the room as Feli cheered him on from their spot on the couch. He found the song he wanted to do and grabbed the little microphone, taking a deep breath as it started: 

_”I'll have a Blue Christmas without you_

_I'll be so blue just thinking about you"_

Ludwig let his deep voice fill the room, letting his body move slightly with the beat of the well-known Elvis song. It accurately described his thoughts, and he subconsciously put more emotion into than he might have as he thought about the Christmas to come:

_"Decorations of red on a green Christmas tree_

_Won't be the same dear, if you're not here with me"_  

He looked over at Feliciano as he sang, who was gazing at him with a thoughtful frown on his face. Ludwig thought he looked worried about something, and that little part of his mind wondered if the little Italian could see right through him. 

He was singing for Feli, after all: 

_"And the when those blue snowflakes start fallin'_

_That's when those blue memories start callin'"_  

The memories were necessarily anything dramatic or special; just simple recollections of the time they'd spent together as friends, sitting together on the couch and watching TV, or eating pasta and potatoes because they had such different preferences but Feli always made sure Ludwig was happy. 

Ludwig looked directly at Feli the entire time, simply letting the lyrics escape into the microphone and try to tell Feli what he was thinking. He'd never been good with words: 

_"You'll be doin' all right, with your Christmas of white_

_But I'll have a blue, blue, blue, blue Christmas."_  

Ludwig paused, breathing evenly while he waited through the break in the song, glancing away from the little Italian and listening to the others hum and clap along: 

_"You'll be doin' all right, with your Christmas of white_

_But I'll have a blue, blue, blue, blue Christmas."_  

He turned back to face Feliciano as he finished the song: 

_"You'll be doin' all right, with your Christmas of white_

_But I'll have a blue, blue, blue, blue Christmas."_  

The others in the audience clapped and whistled as he finished the song, passing the microphone back to Francis who announced the evening was over and told everyone to have a safe trip home. Ludwig smiled as Feli came to stand next to him, unusually quiet as he hugged his brother and Antonio and bid them farewell as they all walked out together. 

It was in the car on their way back to the apartment that anything was said. 

"Ludwig?" 

Keeping his eyes on the road, "Hm? What is it, Feli?" 

"Are you going to be alone for Christmas when I go to visit Grandpa Roma?" 

So Feli _had_ seen through him. "It seems like it, Feli," he replied, deciding the truth was better, though he hated the defeated slump of the Italian's shoulders and the sad pout on his face at the answer. "Don't worry, though. I'll be alright." 

"But no one should be alone on Christmas! Especially not you!" 

Ludwig shrugged, pulling into a parking spot and turning off the car. He smiled a small smile, turning to look at the little Italian. "It's fine, Feli. I'm used to it." 

Feliciano turned to face him, tears running down his face, and Ludwig immediately unbuckled himself and the boy, pulling him across to hold him in his lap like he always did when Feli was upset. The Italian buried his face into Ludwig's chest, gripping his shirt tightly. "I don't want you to be alone, Ludwig," he mumbled. "You're supposed to be happy on Christmas, not blue!" 

Ludwig ran his hand through Feli's hair, soothing him by massaging his head and his back. "I won't be sad, Feli," he reassured. "I can never be sad thinking about you." 

Feli pushed away, leaning up to look at Ludwig with big, round eyes sparkling in the moonlight filtering into the car. His expression was one of hope and happiness. "You think of me on Christmas?" 

The German blushed, running a hand through his blond hair. "I think of you all the time, Feli. Someone has to watch out for you." 

The Italian's smile was wide and wonderful as he threw his arms around the German. "Ve~ You're so cute when you blush, Ludwig!" He pulled back to cup the red face in his hands, staring into the intense ice blue eyes of the German. The normally pale cheeks were as red as the tomato sauce he loved on his pasta. Acting on impulse, Feliciano leaned forward and pressed his lips to Ludwig's, tenderly and carefully. 

Ludwig was pretty sure his heart stopped, and he melted into the sweet kiss. He really hadn't thought Feliciano would return his feelings in _that_ way. Though, as he thought about it while his mouth moved against the Italian's, trailing down the smooth tanned neck before returning with vigor, he couldn't exactly say he was surprised. It felt too easy, too wonderfully _right_ for them to be connected as they were. He actually couldn't remember why he'd ever doubted they could work together. 

Feliciano eventually pulled away, panting with a smile on his face and biting his kiss-swollen lip. He rested his forehead against Ludwig's, feeling their breaths mingle. "You know what this means, Ludwig?" 

"Hm?" 

"I won't have to worry about booking a last-minute flight to Italy."

Ludwig frowned. "I thought you already had." 

Feli giggled, shaking his head. "Ve, nope! I really wanted to spend Christmas here with you, but I was also afraid you might not feel the same way, or may not want me here because you had other things you wanted to do. Grandpa Roma knows I'll be here if I don't show up, so there's nothing to worry about!" 

The German shook his head fondly and pressed a kiss to his Italian's head. "If you say so, Feli." 

Feeling the chill of the outside setting into their bones, they quickly got out of the car and headed up to their apartment. It really was convenient that Lovino had kicked Feli out to live with Ludwig. 

"Ve~ We get to have our white Christmas together after all~!" 

"Indeed we do, Feli. No blue Christmases for us." 

_"You'll be doing alright with your Christmas of white, but I'll have a blue, blue, blue, blue Christmas."_


	11. Eleventh Day of Christmas

The night was falling quickly, the setting sun finally disappearing behind the horizon and taking its fiery red and orange rays and letting bleed in its disappearance cooler violets and indigos, eventually giving way to the ebony of the night, the twinkling stars shimmering in the dark blanket of the sky. Thick, fluffy clouds piled around the luminescent ivory of the moon, releasing perfectly formed crystals of ice onto the already frozen ground below, continuing to stack higher and higher on lawns and in trees and on the roofs of homes. 

Soft yellow lights filled the small living room of one such home, the stone fireplace crackling pleasantly and warming the immediate area with a much-needed heat. A six-foot tree  decorated with multicolored lights flashing merrily, sphere ornaments of red, gold, blue, silver and green, several figurine ornaments – snowmen, wrapped presents, reindeer, sleigh and Santa Claus – and gold and silver tinsel and topped with a humble angel topper resided regally several feet away from the contained flames, painstakingly  and meticulously wrapped gifts of themed wrapping-paper and gaudy bows tucked beneath. Soft music wafted through the dim room, filling the air with nostalgic tunes of the season. 

Steaming mugs of hot cocoa were clamped tightly in two pairs of hands, the bodies of which were swathed in thick plush blankets and bundled on the couch, fitted together hoodied chest to hoodied chest and jean-clad legs tangled beneath the fabric. 

"The snow's really pretty tonight, isn't it?" 

"Yes, it is." 

"White Christmases are always the best, Rei-chan. They're my favorite~" 

The blankets were shifted, the cocoa mugs placed gently on the low mahogany coffee table before the hands entwined with their partner's hands, heads of soft hair tucked against each other, strands of sunshine gold and a unique royal blue coalescing in a jumbled tangle. 

"It's hard to believe it's already Christmas Eve, ne? Time's passed so quickly!" 

"It's passed just the same as it always has, Nagisa. Time does not speed up or slow down." 

"I know that, Rei-chan~ But it sure feels like the year's just flown by! I was sure just yesterday was summertime~" 

"I suppose it does seem that way." 

Soft kisses were pressed to a sharp jawline, firm hands caressing a slender build as the music in the air paused as the source rotated through the CDs inside and yet another artist began filling the silence that emerged momentarily in the changeover. Light giggles and deeper chuckles contributed to the contented ambiance, the aroma of cooling cocoa mixing with apple-cinnamon scented candles and morning-brewed coffee to create a soothing, homey atmosphere. 

"It's almost midnight, Rei-chan~ Are we going to stay up and wait for Santa?" 

"Are you actually going to stay awake this time? Plus, I thought he only comes once you're asleep, anyway." 

"Ne, I suppose you're right. But I'm so excited~! I don't think I _will_ be able to sleep!" 

"You've managed it every year since I've known you." 

"Psh. You're no fun, Rei-chan~" 

"Whatever you say, Nagisa." 

The calm silence settled once again, the quiet melodies still being sung and the flames still flickering brightly next to the shimmering tree. Snow continued to fall around the home, white sticking to the windows as the bitter wind blew it against the walls. The peaceful atmosphere surrounding the two curled on the couch was such that it began inducing lulled senses, the draw of sleep on the edges of their consciousness. 

"Mm, Rei-chan?" 

"Yes, Nagisa?" 

"Merry Christmas." 

"Merry Christmas, Nagisa." 

_"Although it's been said many times, many ways: Merry Christmas to you."_


	12. Twelfth Day of Christmas

Arthur stood in his kitchen, the kettle on the stove heating to boil the water for his tea, the only lighting emitting from the fireplace in his living room and bathing his house in a muted orange-yellow glow alongside the Christmas tree; however, the Briton wasn't currently inside his home, not really. 

His forest-green eyes stared unseeing at the marbled granite countertop, his arms hanging limply at his side. His expression was one of utter emptiness, his movements nothing more than automatic habit as his brain registered the screaming whistling and moved him to the stove, leading him through the motions of pouring the water into his cup and steeping the teabag. 

The Brit padded zombie-like in his green fuzzy sock-clad feet back to his living room with his tea, sitting himself delicately on the edge of his couch, sliding back into it slowly and curling his pyjama-clad legs underneath himself as he gazed without really looking into the dying flames. 

_I should probably stoke it a bit, perhaps throw another log on._

Summoning a scarce bit of motivation, Arthur sighed as he set his tea cup on the coffee table and waddled forward to tend to the fire, poking at it and adding another piece of wood until the flames were once again roaring and he returned to his previous position on the sofa, sipping absently at the Earl Grey in his hand. After countless moments of mindless staring, the blond Englishman turned his attentions to the indigo night sky, snow crystals falling calmly, catching a glance of the ancient grandfather clock against the wall. 

_It's almost midnight. The moon's full tonight, isn't it? I've not been keeping accurate track, but I believe it's close if it's not tonight._

_Do you still stay up until ungodly hours of the night to see it? I can't seem to shake the bloody habit._  

Arthur could feel silent tears beginning to fall down his cheeks as he sipped again from the warm cup in his hands, emerald eyes glued to the round ethereally glowing sphere overlooking the Earth.  

_It seems even brighter in winter, doesn't it? Against the snow, especially. It's been falling rather thickly here, you know. Thick enough for flouncing about it, freezing you arse off as you build snowmen and engrave snow angels into the frozen ground._

A small smile graced his lips for but a moment. 

_Has it snowed where you are?_ Does _it even snow there, wherever that may be?_  

The painful clenching of his chest elicited a harsh sob-like gasp, the tears flowing harder and still as steady. Arthur leaned forward shakily to set his half-empty cup of Earl Grey on the cherry wood coffee table before clawing at the blanket he wrapped around his legs, pulling it up to his chin as he slumped over into the cushions. He buried his face in the fabric, letting out another wrenching sob as he inhaled the scent of the patriotic-themed flannel. 

Even after a year, it still smelt of Alfred. 

_Why?! Why did you have to go?! Why did you have to leave me?! It's not fair. It's not_ bloody fair! 

Arthur couldn't take it anymore. After almost a year, he let the anxiety and fear and longing he'd pent up flow free, crying out everything he'd bottled up inside into the favorite blanket of the blond-haired, blue-eyed young man that had captured his heart and had finally gotten him to admit it a few years previous. The sobs wracked his slender body, but apart from the occasional ragged gasp for breath that wouldn't come, he made no sound. 

It was the worst sort of pain, the sort that was so unbearable that no noise could adequately embody it, that could describe it or paint an image or give any inkling to the grief felt. 

The worst part of it was, however, that Arthur knew it could be so much less drastic… 

… or that it could be so much worse. 

The pain the Brit felt was the pain of not knowing, the agony of the _fear_ of what could be, though was not necessarily true. His imagination could be quite inventive, all those scenarios from the many novels he'd read and the shows he'd seen and simply nothing more than the general assumptions of the unlucky situation in which he found himself. 

The small Englishman curled farther into himself, staring helplessly into the burning flames as his tears fell endlessly. He glanced over to the clock once again, illuminated from behind by the glow of the moon, its face lit by the soft glow of the flames. The hands were so close to both pointing skywards, perhaps little more than a minute.

_Where are you, love? Why aren't you here now? You promised me you'd be home, Alfred. It's Christmas Eve, poppet; why aren't you home?_

_Why aren't you home…?_  

The old grandfather clock began chiming the hour, an ominous ringing that travelled though the Brit's mind as the heavy rings slowly sounded twelve times. Arthur's body lost all tension, his tight hunch sliding to a loose flop as he allowed his blond head to fall to the side, the unceasing tears gliding into his wheat-colored hair and onto the cushions. 

_Don't make me spend Christmas alone, love. Please. Please, please, please; I'm begging you, poppet, you stupid git. You promised. You wouldn't break a promise to me. A hero always keeps his promise…_

_Unless you can't anymore…?_  

The tinkling of his doorbell sounded distantly in the Englishman's ears, his mind barely registering its existence in the mind-consuming heartbreak caused by his depressing thoughts. He could be so melodramatic sometimes; he was probably just overreacting because of his paranoia, his fear of the unknown and all the variables. 

The tinkling sounded again, and this time Arthur turned his head to the location of his front door, seeming to look through the back of the couch at the dark wood as he attempted to determine if he'd actually heard anything. When it sounded yet again, he debated if he had it in him to roll off the couch and walk the ten feet to the door and answer it. The Briton wasn't sure he could handle any type of company at the moment. 

On the fourth ring, he sighed defeated, managing to push himself up and out of the blanket, setting it gently against the cushions as he slightly stumbled towards the door. He couldn't honestly think of anyone that would be at his home at this time of night, especially on this particular date. Foregoing the peephole, he twisted the knob and pulled the door open, leaning against it as he looked up at his visitor, hoping that his state of distress would discourage them from their intent to visit. 

Blue eyes the color of an endless, cloudless summer sky, framed by thin wire-rim glasses, and a tired, worn smile brighter than the sun itself in radiance gazed back at him, mussed golden hair hanging just as it always had, the one stubborn cowlick still proudly standing above a tanned forehead. A war-torn Army uniform kept out the chill of the winter air, the camouflage contrasting with the midnight indigo of the sky in the dim porch light. 

Arthur couldn't remember how to breathe. This had to be his imagination, right? Wishful thinking the result of sleepless nights. This couldn't be real. 

The sparkling love and happiness in those stunning irises was more real than anything he'd ever seen. "Heya, Artie." 

And it was as if his fear simply melted away, and Arthur was suddenly in his American's arms, sobbing into his chest as his strong arms encircled his waist, holding him so tightly he still couldn't breathe, but he couldn't find it in himself to care at all. 

"Oh, God, Alfred! Alfred, Alfred, Alfred~" The Briton refused to cease chanting his name softly, like a mantra of luck and happiness and he pulled back slightly, cupping his American's face in his hands and pulling him into a passionate and desperate kiss, tangling his fingers in the blond locks that were even softer than he remembered, feeling those lips that were even more tender with him than he could recall, melting at each caress of Alfred's thumbs against the tearstains on his cheeks. 

The American pulled back to look at his little Englishman, pressing loving kisses against every available patch of skin he could get to – his cheeks, kissing the tears away; his nose, his forehead, his temples, his chin and returning to his lips in between them all. "It's alright, Artie," he cooed, smiling fondly at the little blond as he removed each tear as it fell. "I'm here now, it's okay. I'm back." 

"You git!" Arthur cried, no venom in him as his voice cracked from emotion, letting Alfred scoop him up into his arms. "I-I was almost afraid you'd break your promise!" 

Alfred gently turned Arthur's face to his, looking deeply into his deep jade eyes that went on forever and ever. "I'm your hero, Artie. I would never break my promise. Not to you." He pressed a chaste kiss to the Briton's lips. "I said I'd be home for Christmas, and here I am." 

Arthur let out a hysteric giggle, hugging his American tighter as Alfred carried him back inside. "Never be gone this long again, you wanker," he muttered with a small smile, the tears now staining his face ones of happiness and relief. "I don't think I could handle it, poppet." 

Alfred chuckled, kissing Arthur once again, this one filled with a burning desire and all the love they held for the other. "Don't you worry, Artie. I'm not goin' anywhere for a good long while. We'll definitely be spending many Christmases together in the future." 

Arthur couldn't help but stare into those sapphire-like gems, seeing all the reassurance he needed within their depths. He smiled a bright, worry-free smile and kissed Alfred long and hard. 

"I love you so much, Alfred. Merry Christmas, love." 

"Love you, too, Artie. And a merry Christmas to you, too."

_"Christmas eve will find me where the love light gleams. I'll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams."_


End file.
